Preview and Prediction
Another derby in Serie A is on the clock this weekend. The grand rivals in Italian football, Inter Milan and Juventus will be squaring off in Derby d’Italia for securing big result here. La Beniamata need to keep on sealing maximum points to entail AC Milan on the top, while Juventus is in need of more victory badly to climb on the top lately. There is no room for mistake in this classic fixture.
The teams’ previous matches
Inter was dismayed after only going home with on point in hand. They could only muster a draw while taking on AS Roma in Olimpico. The home side took the lead by Lorenzo Pellegrini, but they could equalise by Martin Skriniat’s header and Achraf Hakimi’s long range strike. Yet, their prospective win was denied by Gianluca Mancini’s header.
Meanwhile, Juventus sealed a 3-1 win while hosting Sassuolo. Danilo broke the deadlock after a number of chances were denied. However, Gregorie Defrel managed to find the equaliser. Fortunately, Aaron Ramsey and Cristiano Ronaldo netted the winning goal in the last eight minutes.
Possible tactic
Antonio Conte, is likely sticking to 3-5-2 formation with Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku as the twin frontman at the front. The wing backs position will be given to Achraf Hakimi and the former Manchester United man, Ashley Young. Unfortunately, some names will be missing this match such as Mathias Vecino, Daniel D’Ambrosio and the youngster Andrea Pinamonti.
His junior, Andrea Pirlo, is quite confident with 4-4-2 formation. Yet, some names will be ruled out for this important match including Mathijs de Ligt, Juan Cuadrado, Alex Sandro and Paulo Dybala. Therefore, Cristiano Ronaldo will be paired up with Alvaro Morata upfront. On the flanks, Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Chiesa will operate the area.
Players to watch
Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku is one of the top performers with twelve goals and three assists, followed by the Argentine Lautaro Martinez with nine goals and three assists. Another notable name to focus on is the former Dortmund full back, Achraf Hakimi who has registered five goals and three assists.
La Vecchia Signora still counts on Ronaldo as the top scorer by contributing fifteen goals and two assists. Some other key men to watch are the versatile Federico Chiesa registering four goals and three assists and the American youngster Weston McKennie who has bagged two goals and two assists.
Inter vs Juventus Prediction
This year’s Derby d’Italia might be a decisive one for Conte. The Inter boss is recently under pressure for being unable to deliver the satisfactory results in his second season. Conte’s 3-5-2 has been easily anticipated by their contenders making his team quite vulnerable for concession. In the end, a draw would be a most likely result here.
Betting odds
It is a tight clash for sure and neither side is the favorite. Conte’s men’s odds to win are at 31/21, whereas Cristiano Ronaldo and Co’s win market is at 19/10. The draw result is at the value of 13/5.
